Clark Hill merges with Irish firm

Clark Hill announced Wednesday a merger with the well-known Irish firm O’Gradys Solicitors giving it a significant presence in Ireland, its first office within the European Union.

With more than 650 lawyers and 25 offices in the U.S., Mexico and Ireland, Clark Hill is now providing a full set of legal services to an international client base that is doing business in and through Ireland, complementing its full service offering in the U.S. The merger with O’Gradys builds on the growth of its Dublin office in 2018 and brings the number of solicitors to 19.

“Ireland is the logical choice for our first expansion into Europe”, according to John Hern, CEO of Clark Hill. “It has the fastest growing economy in the EU, while the EU itself is the second largest economy in the world. It is a very attractive destination for large numbers of the world’s leading businesses, and so developing a significant presence there is an obvious step for us.”

“We can now offer Irish clients, large and small, access to the full suite of legal services throughout the U.S,” said Kirby Tarrant, Partner in Charge of Clark Hill’s Dublin office. “We are ideally placed to serve the increasing needs of US clients doing business in and through Ireland, and equally to facilitate the globalization goals of Irish SMEs wishing to expand into the U.S.”

“In this era of globalization, easy access to informed ‘on the ground’ legal advice is becoming more and more important,” added Tarrant. “With offices on both sides of the Atlantic, we offer that ‘down the corridor’ service. Our clients, whether global organizations, SMEs or start-ups, can all rely on the same brand of personal attention and service excellence upon which our brand has been built.”

Welcoming the news Martin Shanahan, CEO, IDA Ireland said: “The development of Ireland as an international litigation and arbitration hub in recent times enhances Ireland’s reputation as a location for Foreign Direct Investment within Europe. Clark Hill’s choice of Ireland as the location for its first European office demonstrates the country’s attractive business environment and talented, highly skilled workforce. The firm is a welcome addition to the strong base of legal services firms operating in Ireland.”

Clark Hill’s Dublin office offers a broad range of legal services in areas including M&A, financial services, commercial litigation, bankruptcy, restructuring, and commercial property. It also has capital markets, fintech, data security and cybersecurity capabilities.